Marin Tender Tracks Day 3 Nov. 23, 2011

Waning Moon- two days before New Moon
Samuel P. Taylor

The day was gray with sweet winds blowing early on as we watched the leaves fall like rain on a gentle glide down to Earth.
The children’s weather began very cloudy and disjointed.  Benny started with being very upset about thinking that he did not have  something that he wanted.  Anna went to look for it with no success and suggested it might be in his backpack.  As I buckled the other children up I offered that he go through his entire backpack to see if it was there.  Oh blessings for sweet gifts, He found it!  Tears retreated like dark clouds being sent away with strong warm sunlit rays.  I go back even further to the very beginning of the day when Lenny came to the bus and did not have his backpack. He was not to pleased about this and less delighted to borrow a Tender Tracks backpack. He wanted his own!  Yet, he was willing, somewhat, to allow his food and such to go into it.   There was some unhappinesses from Lenny towards Sidona as we drove and they both were insistent that they were right about certain things. Lenny said his birthday was around Christmas and that that was the BEST time to have a birthday with wonderful reasons.   Sidona said that that was wrong and it was the WORST time to have a birthday for very wonderful reasons.  I presented that they were both right, for each one of them had their own likes and dislikes.  This quelled it all for a bit.

When we got there they all scattered to this one tree accept Bodi who was in the bus with me and slowly getting ready to go out. His parents said he might be a little tired today and indeed he was, the entire time.  His bright spirit was there but his energy was not.  He stayed put mostly and just at times ran around with the others but petered out rather quickly each time and stayed quiet mostly.  Simone was just alive and vibrant though the entire day and Leo and Sidona sat inside this beautiful Redwood Tree eating together for a very long time.  Leo too was a bit quieter then usual today accept on the bus ride back he and Lenny throughly enjoyed hitting each other with their stuffies.  They reminded me very much of young Celtic Warrior boys loving battling with each other.  Even when they hurt each other they wanted to “play” more and more.  I did though ask them to stop as it was getting a bit more then seemed appropriate for the ride.  They did fairly willingly and were still quite happy with each other.

I did start the day with our songs and a special story that I only tell at Thanksgiving time.   They were all quite present for that one. Yet they remained in a disconnected state for awhile.  Benny and Lenny were only wanting to have all the trees for themselves and a big fighting about it.  I finally brought them into a choice place of how we can all be together and boom, the change began to take place.

It seemed like they all needed to unfold in their own timing so I came in and out playing games with some here and there yet allowed their own spirits to find their way with as little interference as I could, accept when there were true discords.  I then brought out the soap root.  I needed some to get water in the bucket from the creek. Bodi, Lenny and Benny went down to get the water.  Bodi and Simone had fun at first washing with the soap root.  One by one the others came by to wash with this very fun root and then off they went.  I then asked them to gather straight sticks about the size of their thumb so I could make them paintbrushes.  They all liked these very much.   Sidona and Simone stayed with me a lot while I did this and then I suggested that they all go down to the creek to find rocks for painting.  This is where the group unity finally kicked in.  They were all down there searching for rocks and trying to make paint.

When I walked over from the spot I was in there was Benny up to his knees in the water and very happy about it.  Bodi was sitting on a log, Lenny found a stick that he really liked that then Benny really wanted.  Simone, Sidona and Leo were really trying to find rocks that they could make paint out of and I started to mash one rock up.  The rest then came in to try to do the same.

We only had a little time after this. I gave several time calls in hopes that this would ease the transition and, wow, they are getting very skilled at coming when called, putting their belongs together and getting on the bus.  Once we were driving the interactions with Lenny and Leo happened.  All the children were engaged with this yet it was getting a bit loud so I curtailed it a bit by telling them two stories that they wanted to hear.  They often ask for The Boy Who Cried Wolf and then I told the story from today that they requested to hear again. “We can’t remember it all. Tell us again.”

At the beginning of our time together it was not all that delightful with this unpleasant disconnect and , by the time we left there was a great sense of connection, support and a really nice group feeling. What a contrast and how wonderful to feel such transformation, for us all.  A Happy thanksgiving moment. And their thank you’s at the end of the day were all very rich and each one wanted to share.